I am back.

Thank you all so much for your supportive comments on my last post.  I really appreciated them all.

My break whizzed past.  It was busy and full of grief, laughter, confusion, beauty and ugliness.  A bit like life really.  I am still wobbly physically and emotionally but have pulled up my big girl panties.

Two bloggers I knew, followed and cherished died last month.  Jacqueline from Cranky Bar, and Arija from garden delights.  I will miss them both, and am so grateful that our paths crossed in cyber space.  They enriched my world.  Closer to home my eldest brother's mother-in-law also died.  She, Jacqueline and Arija are now free of pain.  All those they touched and those they loved are glad that their pain is over, but we feel the pain of their loss.  Pain shared across the world.

While I was away from the blogosphere I continued to volunteer on the crisis line and donate to the Early Morning Centre which provides support for the homeless.  Negative impacts from world-wide confusion, anxt and ugliness have been and continue to be felt.

I have been reading (of course), gardening (of course) and doing a little long over-due decluttering.  And some cleaning.  Himself's sister is coming to stay with us later this month.  She is coming to see Enlighten 2017 and the Balloon Spectacular.   I understand she also wants to see the National Botanic Gardens, the Arboretum, an exhibition at the National Gallery, visit some friends (she went to University here), have a kangaroo fix and go on a lake cruise.  Which sounds like a busy five or six days to me, but I am told her itinerary is sketchy and will fill up later... Photos from at least some of these excursions will follow.

Sadly it seems that my smaller portion is going to sign up (if he can) for yet more abdominal surgery.  The hernia repair has broken down, and there are more too.  One huge one, and several smaller ones.  Not life threatening, but unpleasant and uncomfortable.  I suspect I would have called it a day by now, but he has not, and it is his body.  So he is agitating for a return to the specialist.  Sigh.

The weather has been challenging.  Hot, and sometimes very hot.  Not unexpected for summer even if neither my body nor I like it.  We have had some record breaking heat and last week one morning there was snow less than sixty miles away.  We didn't get the snow, but had a cool night (with single digit temperatures) before racketing up to another 35C/95F day.  At the moment there are  BIG temperature swings.  And some rain would be more than welcome.

You will be shocked and surprised to learn I have turned to nature for solace, healing and delight.

There are no fairies in the bottom of my garden, but there are naked ladies...

The birds continue to give us joy.  I can't tell you how much time we 'waste' each day watching them.

It was nice to know that sometimes light as a feather isn't light enough.  This corella came in to land on a very slender branch...

And overbalanced.

We laughed.  Just the same, corellas are beautiful birds.  And rock blue eyeshadow.

The King Parrots are back too.  They are very low in the avian pecking order and most birds can bully them off the feeders.  They have found a way round that problem though.

Nothing challenges them when they are standing on our hands or our arms.  They make it very clear when they want feeding too.

In other news I am off to the dentist shortly.  Wish me luck.